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Horse Racing

At the Gate – Saturday

VegasInsider Staff
VegasInsider Staff Sports Betting Expert
6 minute read
Trainer Todd Pletcher sent out his two Belmont Stakes (G1) hopefuls to work on Friday morning and it looks as if they are both a go for next Saturday.

Noble Indy, who was 17th in the Kentucky Derby (G1) worked five furlongs in 1:01.33 while Vino Rosso went five furlongs in 1:01.58. The colt was ninth in the Derby.

Both galloped out to Pletcher’s satisfaction and there really has not been much drama over the past couple of days as far as Belmont contenders go. Justify continues to look as good as ever and will head to the starting gate next Saturday at a very short price.

We have a good day of betting action this afternoon with a solid 10 race card at Belmont Park with plenty of live longshots.

The feature is the $200,000 Pennine Ridge (G3) which features Analyze It, the undefeated Chad Brown trainee who is the 4-5 chalk on the morning line. He faces six foes with Hawkish a likely scratch.

Analyze It won the Transylvania (G3) at Keeneland last out and as you can see below this is one race on the card where the longshots look overmatched.

Another chalk I cannot go against today is Unique Bella in the $400,000 Beholder Mile (G1). She has won six of her seven starts over the Santa Anita main track and was off poorly in the Apple Blossom Handicap (G1) at Oaklawn Park in her last outing.

The co-feature which is below is the $200,000 Snow Chief for Cal bred three-year-olds going nine furlongs on turf. I am looking for a bit of a price with Psycho Dar.

Saturday’s Best Plays Report includes my eight strongest plays from Belmont Park and Santa Anita.

To purchase my Belmont Park and Best Plays Reports for Saturday click here.

Now is the perfect time to purchase my Monthly Package, which will give you a full month of reports from Belmont Park, my Best Plays Report each weekend, and the Belmont Stakes Festival from Belmont Park.

Here is the opening race from Belmont Park to get the day off to a good start:

BEL Race 1 Md $25,000 (1:30 ET)
#6 Big Expense 8-1
#8 Aly's All Out 6-5
#1 Trinni Ninja / 1a Dark Tricks 3-1
#2 Lila Ruth 7-2

Analysis: Big Expense was the beaten chalk in her last two starts, both times heading for home with the lead but getting run down and having to settle for the runner up spot. She has now landed in the money in 5 of 9 starts without picking up her diploma. She should get a similar trip here and willing to give her one more shot of getting the job done here if she goes off near her 8-1 morning line. She is out of an Abaginone mare that has dropped six winners.

Aly's All Out was all out in the stretch and was a game second beaten a nose in her debut, sent off at 2-1 in a field of six. She was nearly four lengths clear of the rest of the field and earned the top last out speed fig. She looks tough if she runs back to that effort but note the RRod barn has weak numbers with second out maidens, hitting at just a 7% clip. I like the switch to Saez but not the light price.

Wagering
WIN: #6 to win at 4-1 or better.
EX: 6,8 / 1,2,6,8
TRI: 6,8 / 1,2,6,8 / 1,2,3,6,8

Today’s Featured Race of the Day from Belmont Park:

BEL Race 9 The Pennine Ridge G3 (5:50 ET)

#4 Analyze It 4-5
#6 Untamed Domain 5-1
#3 Catholic Boy 4-1
#1 Up the Ante 10-1

Analysis: Analyze It has not been tested in his three career starts, winning by a combined 15 3/4 lengths. Last out he came off a 4 1/2 month break and rolled to a 5 1/4 length win over yielding footing in the Transylvania (G3) at Keeneland at 4-5. Three foes he beat in that race have come back to win stakes including Maraud who won the American Turf (G2) in his next outing on May 5. He settled nicely off the pace last out after being forwardly placed din his first two starts including his maiden score which came here. Tough not to like him despite the light price.

Untamed Domain made a good late rally to finish in a deadheat for the runner up spot in the American Turf, bouncing back off a sixth in the Tampa Bay Derby (G2) on dirt. He won the Summer (G2) last September at Woodbine and then rallied to finish a good second in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf (G1) behind Mendelssohn. He looks as if he will appreciate the stretch out here to nine furlongs and should get an honest enough pace to run at.

Wagering
WIN: #4 to win at 4-5 or better.
EX: 4,6 / 1,3,4,6
TRI: 4,6 / 1,3,4,6 / 1,3,4,5,6

Today’s Featured Race of the Day from Santa Anita:

SA Race 7 The Snow Chief (3:30 PT)
#6 Psycho Dar 9-2
#2 Hardboot 3-1
#1 Take the One O One 5-2
#3 Waya Ed 4-1

Analysis: Psycho Dar tracked the early pace and finished evenly in a third-place finish in the state bred Silky Sullivan, checking in 2 1/4 lengths behind Hardboot who was 10-1. The gelding is 0 for 3 on turf but has run pretty well and now makes his third start of his current form cycle and tries nine furlongs. He is out of a stakes placed Maria's Mon mare and looks capable of getting the extra ground and turning the tables.

Hardboot got the best of our top pick last out making a good late rally to win by 1 3/4 lengths in an upset. The colt earned a career top speed fig in the effort and it was his second win on turf, his maiden breaker coming at Del Mar in his second career start. He looks as if the extra furlong will not pose a problem, but he likely gets bet down off his 3-1 morning line.

Wagering
WIN: #6 to win at 7-2 or better.
EX: 2,6 / 1,2,3,6
TRI: 2,6 / 1,2,3,6 / 1,2,3,6,7

Live Longshots:
These are price plays for exotic players looking to find a couple of extra contenders to use in their trifecta and superfecta wagers. Or for those with smaller bankrolls, you might want to get in a small win-place wager.

Belmont Park
R1: #6 Big Expense 8-1
R2: #6 Rockford 12-1
R3: #5 Money Purse 15-1
R3: #6 Neon 12-1
R4: #6 With Exultation 8-1
R5: #3 Our Whim 10-1
R6: #2 Banty’s Girl 8-1
R7: #4 Peril 10-1
R8: #6 May Be a Diamond 10-1
R8: #4 javelin 8-1
R9: #1 Up the Ante 10-1
R10: #3 Buddy’s Tiz 12-1

Good luck today!

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